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Justice News

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Maryland

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Keymar Man Exiled To 10 Years In Prison For Possession Of Stolen Firearms

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III sentenced Christopher Stevens, age 23, of Keymar, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of stolen firearms. Judge Russell ordered that six years of the federal sentence will be served consecutive to state sentences that Stevens is currently serving.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Special Agent in Charge William P. McMullan of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Captain Thomas J. Ledwell, Chief of the Frederick Police Department; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; and Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to Stevens’ plea agreement, on January 27, 2013, he and an accomplice broke into a sporting goods store, gaining entry through the roof of the building. Stevens stole 12 firearms from the store and hid them at his mother’s residence. Stevens and his accomplice then distributed 10 of the guns to an individual whom they believed to be a member of a “Crips” gang section located in Frederick, Maryland. At least one of the stolen firearms was used in a shooting in Frederick. Stevens also bartered at least one of the stolen guns in exchange for tattoos.

On March 5, 2013, Stevens was the rear passenger in a car stopped by a Maryland State Police trooper. A police drug detection canine that was brought to the scene alerted positively for the presence of drugs in the car. The occupants were removed from the car prior to a search. While exiting the car, the front seat passenger told the trooper that there was a gun under the front seat and neither of the other passengers knew of the gun. The gun, an unloaded semi-automatic handgun, was recovered. Investigation revealed that the gun had one obliterated serial number, but a second serial number was discovered, which revealed that the gun had been stolen in the sporting goods store robbery. Witnesses were found who would testify that Stevens brought the seized firearm into the car and when the car was stopped by the trooper, Stevens asked Myers to claim that the gun was his.

According to his plea agreement, Stevens also told several witnesses that the seized gun was his and that he had stolen it in the sporting goods store robbery. The government also obtained recordings of conversations with Stevens and individuals who were incarcerated in which Stevens admitted his participation in the firearms robbery from the sporting goods store.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Frederick Police Department, Maryland State Police and Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney John F. Purcell, who prosecuted the case.